GRE vocabulary list 10 (aberrant)

A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Based on our analysis, the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Flashcards can help you memorize definitions, but they don’t always show whether you can recognize and use a word in context. Use the quizzes to check that you truly understand each word before test day.

Definitions

aberrant

irregular

adjective

markedly different from an accepted norm

"To speak loudly in a library would be considered aberrant behavior."

"The aberrant bull had only a single horn."

affectation

posturing

noun

An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.

"Most people introduce themselves at parties with great affectation to make themselves seem more interesting."

"Her obnoxious affectation was made clear when she would practically adopt a new personality at dinner parties."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

avarice

greed

noun

extreme greed for material wealth

"His avarice lead him to steal from everyone, even the poor."

"Avarice blinds us from the true pleasures in life."

belligerent

aggressive

adjective

Aggressively hostile, eager to fight.

"The belligerent family could not stop fighting one another."

"The belligerent general was not interested in diplomacy."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

castigate

reprimand

verb

To punish severely; to criticize severely; to reprimand severely.

"Some people respond well to being castigated while others prefer more indirect reproval."

"His hypocrisy showed as he castigated others for doing something he had done himself."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

decorum

protocol

noun

Appropriate social behavior; propriety

"The judge tried her best to keep decorum in the rowdy courtroom."

"Decorum at the party was lost once the drinks came out."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

deference

respect

noun

A yielding of judgment or preference from respect to the wishes or opinion of another; submission in opinion; regard; respect; complaisance.

"It's best to speak to a judge with deference and respect."

"He had great deference for his mentor."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

dilettante

amateur

noun

An amateur, someone who dabbles in a field out of casual interest rather than as a profession or serious interest.

"He was only a dilettante; he would easily lose if challenged by a professional chess player."

"The dilettante still only knew how to play one or two songs on the piano."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

dirge

mournful song or poem

noun

A mournful poem or piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.

"The dirge was recited by the best friend of the deceased at the funeral."

"The dirge left the listeners contrite and reflective on the ephemeral nature of life."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

elicit

cause

verb

To draw out, bring out, bring forth (something latent); to obtain information from someone or something.

"Most horror movies elicit fear and terror out of the viewers."

"They sent out multiple reminder emails as to elicit a response."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

exonerate

absolve

verb

To free from accusation or blame.

"His plausible alibi exonerated him from any guilt."

"The pardon exonerated him from his crimes."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

facetious

flippant

adjective

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

"He ignored the warning of his learned advisors with a facetious dismissal."

"The debaters chose to use facetious remarks instead of substantial arguments."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

gauche

ungraceful

adjective

Lacking grace and perceptivity in social situations; crude; tactless; socially inept.

"Young children are allowed to be gauche at a formal event like a wedding."

"His gauche behavior was inappropriate at the formal event."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

luminous

shining

adjective

Shining; emitting or reflecting light; brilliant; bright

"The luminous documentary certainly brought out new perspectives on the controversial figure's life."

"Some fish have luminous bodies to help them see in the deep ocean."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

maudlin

tearful

adjective

Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly.

"Her mood has been generally maudlin since the passing of her dog."

"The funeral was a maudlin affair."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

noxious

malignant

adjective

Hurtful; harmful; baneful; pernicious; injurious; destructive; unwholesome; insalubrious; ; pernicious; corrupting to morals.

"Cigarettes have plenty of noxious materials that are unsafe for inhalation."

"Noxious gases were used as a weapon of war in WWI."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

philanthropic

charitable

adjective

Characterized by generosity to others; loving or helping mankind.

"The philanthropic billionaire did not hesitate to offer large portions of his wealth to charities."

"It is more difficult to be philanthropic when you have little money to spare."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

philistine

tasteless

adjective

Lacking in appreciation for art or culture

"My philistine friend appreciates a 5-star restaurant just as much as a his favorite burger joint."

"Don't expect a philistine person to enjoy a musical."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

plastic

malleable

adjective

capable of being influenced or formed

"His plastic heart could fall in and out of love with multiple partners within a day."

"The brain is more plastic in early life."

platitude

cliche

noun

An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse; a cliche.

"The platitude "love conquers all" makes many people cringe."

"The cookie cutter film was filled with platitudes and tropes."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

propitiate

appease

verb

To conciliate, appease or make peace with someone, particularly a god or spirit.

"He chose to fast for a few days in order to propitiate the gods for his wrongdoing."

"He offered to replace the door he broke to propitiate the landlord."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

puerile

immature

adjective

displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity

"The lack of decorum was a puerile display of youthful ignorance."

"The jokes that teenagers say are often puerile."

sycophant

fawner

noun

a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

"Kelly was clearly a sycophant when compared to the other classmates; the teacher's pet always offered to grab the assignments for the teacher."

"The celebrity preferred to date someone who was not just a sycophant of her work."

underscore

emphasize

verb

give extra weight to (a communication)

"The baby impala's willingness to walk near the lion underscored its youthful naivete."

"The fact that they were tourists was underscored by their odd comments about things that would seem mundane to the locals."

whimsical

impulsive

adjective

Capricious; odd; peculiar; playful; light-hearted or amusing.

"Vacation is the time to be whimsical and go with the flow."

"He had a more whimsical and care-free approach to life."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

aberrant

markedly different from accepted norm
synonym: irregular

affectation

false display or artificial behavior
synonym: posturing

avarice

extreme greed for material wealth
synonym: greed

belligerent

aggressively hostile; eager to fight
synonym: aggressive

castigate

punish or criticize severely
synonym: reprimand

decorum

appropriate social behavior; propriety
synonym: protocol

deference

yielding out of respect to another’s wishes or opinions
synonym: respect

dilettante

amateur; dabbles in a field without serious intent
synonym: amateur

dirge

mournful poem or song for the dead
synonym: mournful song or poem

elicit

draw out or bring forth (information or reaction)
synonym: cause

exonerate

free from blame or accusation
synonym: absolve

facetious

treating serious issues with inappropriate humor
synonym: flippant

gauche

lacking social grace; tactless or crude
synonym: ungraceful

luminous

shining; emitting or reflecting light; bright
synonym: shining

maudlin

excessively sentimental or tearful
synonym: tearful

noxious

harmful, injurious, or destructive
synonym: malignant

philanthropic

generous; helping or loving mankind
synonym: charitable

philistine

lacking appreciation for art or culture
synonym: tasteless

plastic

capable of being influenced or shaped; malleable
synonym: malleable

platitude

overused, unoriginal saying; cliché
synonym: cliché

propitiate

appease or make peace with (especially a god or spirit)
synonym: appease

puerile

immature; lacking maturity
synonym: immature

sycophant

person who flatters to gain advantage; fawner
synonym: fawner

underscore

emphasize; give extra weight to something
synonym: emphasize

whimsical

playful, light-hearted, or capricious
synonym: impulsive

GRE vocabulary list 10 (aberrant)

A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Based on our analysis, the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Definitions

GRE vocabulary list 10 (aberrant)

A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Based on our analysis, the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Definitions

aberrant

irregular

adjective

markedly different from an accepted norm

"To speak loudly in a library would be considered aberrant behavior."

"The aberrant bull had only a single horn."

affectation

posturing

noun

An attempt to assume or exhibit what is not natural or real; false display; artificial show.

"Most people introduce themselves at parties with great affectation to make themselves seem more interesting."

"Her obnoxious affectation was made clear when she would practically adopt a new personality at dinner parties."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

avarice

greed

noun

extreme greed for material wealth

"His avarice lead him to steal from everyone, even the poor."

"Avarice blinds us from the true pleasures in life."

belligerent

aggressive

adjective

Aggressively hostile, eager to fight.

"The belligerent family could not stop fighting one another."

"The belligerent general was not interested in diplomacy."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

castigate

reprimand

verb

To punish severely; to criticize severely; to reprimand severely.

"Some people respond well to being castigated while others prefer more indirect reproval."

"His hypocrisy showed as he castigated others for doing something he had done himself."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

decorum

protocol

noun

Appropriate social behavior; propriety

"The judge tried her best to keep decorum in the rowdy courtroom."

"Decorum at the party was lost once the drinks came out."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

deference

respect

noun

A yielding of judgment or preference from respect to the wishes or opinion of another; submission in opinion; regard; respect; complaisance.

"It's best to speak to a judge with deference and respect."

"He had great deference for his mentor."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

dilettante

amateur

noun

An amateur, someone who dabbles in a field out of casual interest rather than as a profession or serious interest.

"He was only a dilettante; he would easily lose if challenged by a professional chess player."

"The dilettante still only knew how to play one or two songs on the piano."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

dirge

mournful song or poem

noun

A mournful poem or piece of music composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person.

"The dirge was recited by the best friend of the deceased at the funeral."

"The dirge left the listeners contrite and reflective on the ephemeral nature of life."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

elicit

cause

verb

To draw out, bring out, bring forth (something latent); to obtain information from someone or something.

"Most horror movies elicit fear and terror out of the viewers."

"They sent out multiple reminder emails as to elicit a response."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

exonerate

absolve

verb

To free from accusation or blame.

"His plausible alibi exonerated him from any guilt."

"The pardon exonerated him from his crimes."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

facetious

flippant

adjective

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

"He ignored the warning of his learned advisors with a facetious dismissal."

"The debaters chose to use facetious remarks instead of substantial arguments."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

gauche

ungraceful

adjective

Lacking grace and perceptivity in social situations; crude; tactless; socially inept.

"Young children are allowed to be gauche at a formal event like a wedding."

"His gauche behavior was inappropriate at the formal event."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

luminous

shining

adjective

Shining; emitting or reflecting light; brilliant; bright

"The luminous documentary certainly brought out new perspectives on the controversial figure's life."

"Some fish have luminous bodies to help them see in the deep ocean."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

maudlin

tearful

adjective

Tearful; easily moved to tears; exciting to tears; excessively sentimental; weak and silly.

"Her mood has been generally maudlin since the passing of her dog."

"The funeral was a maudlin affair."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

noxious

malignant

adjective

Hurtful; harmful; baneful; pernicious; injurious; destructive; unwholesome; insalubrious; ; pernicious; corrupting to morals.

"Cigarettes have plenty of noxious materials that are unsafe for inhalation."

"Noxious gases were used as a weapon of war in WWI."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

philanthropic

charitable

adjective

Characterized by generosity to others; loving or helping mankind.

"The philanthropic billionaire did not hesitate to offer large portions of his wealth to charities."

"It is more difficult to be philanthropic when you have little money to spare."

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

philistine

tasteless

adjective

Lacking in appreciation for art or culture

"My philistine friend appreciates a 5-star restaurant just as much as a his favorite burger joint."

"Don't expect a philistine person to enjoy a musical."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

plastic

malleable

adjective

capable of being influenced or formed

"His plastic heart could fall in and out of love with multiple partners within a day."

"The brain is more plastic in early life."

platitude

cliche

noun

An often-quoted saying that is supposed to be meaningful but has become unoriginal or hackneyed through overuse; a cliche.

"The platitude "love conquers all" makes many people cringe."

"The cookie cutter film was filled with platitudes and tropes."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

propitiate

appease

verb

To conciliate, appease or make peace with someone, particularly a god or spirit.

"He chose to fast for a few days in order to propitiate the gods for his wrongdoing."

"He offered to replace the door he broke to propitiate the landlord."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

puerile

immature

adjective

displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity

"The lack of decorum was a puerile display of youthful ignorance."

"The jokes that teenagers say are often puerile."

sycophant

fawner

noun

a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

"Kelly was clearly a sycophant when compared to the other classmates; the teacher's pet always offered to grab the assignments for the teacher."

"The celebrity preferred to date someone who was not just a sycophant of her work."

underscore

emphasize

verb

give extra weight to (a communication)

"The baby impala's willingness to walk near the lion underscored its youthful naivete."

"The fact that they were tourists was underscored by their odd comments about things that would seem mundane to the locals."

whimsical

impulsive

adjective

Capricious; odd; peculiar; playful; light-hearted or amusing.

"Vacation is the time to be whimsical and go with the flow."

"He had a more whimsical and care-free approach to life."

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

aberrant

markedly different from accepted norm
synonym: irregular

affectation

false display or artificial behavior
synonym: posturing

avarice

extreme greed for material wealth
synonym: greed

belligerent

aggressively hostile; eager to fight
synonym: aggressive

castigate

punish or criticize severely
synonym: reprimand

decorum

appropriate social behavior; propriety
synonym: protocol

deference

yielding out of respect to another’s wishes or opinions
synonym: respect

dilettante

amateur; dabbles in a field without serious intent
synonym: amateur

dirge

mournful poem or song for the dead
synonym: mournful song or poem

elicit

draw out or bring forth (information or reaction)
synonym: cause

exonerate

free from blame or accusation
synonym: absolve

facetious

treating serious issues with inappropriate humor
synonym: flippant

gauche

lacking social grace; tactless or crude
synonym: ungraceful

luminous

shining; emitting or reflecting light; bright
synonym: shining

maudlin

excessively sentimental or tearful
synonym: tearful

noxious

harmful, injurious, or destructive
synonym: malignant

philanthropic

generous; helping or loving mankind
synonym: charitable

philistine

lacking appreciation for art or culture
synonym: tasteless

plastic

capable of being influenced or shaped; malleable
synonym: malleable

platitude

overused, unoriginal saying; cliché
synonym: cliché

propitiate

appease or make peace with (especially a god or spirit)
synonym: appease

puerile

immature; lacking maturity
synonym: immature

sycophant

person who flatters to gain advantage; fawner
synonym: fawner

underscore

emphasize; give extra weight to something
synonym: emphasize

whimsical

playful, light-hearted, or capricious
synonym: impulsive

GRE vocabulary list 10 (aberrant)

A strong vocabulary is essential for scoring well on the GRE. Based on our analysis, the words below are among the most commonly tested on the exam.

Definitions

aberrant

markedly different from accepted norm
synonym: irregular

affectation

false display or artificial behavior
synonym: posturing

avarice

extreme greed for material wealth
synonym: greed

belligerent

aggressively hostile; eager to fight
synonym: aggressive

castigate

punish or criticize severely
synonym: reprimand

decorum

appropriate social behavior; propriety
synonym: protocol

deference

yielding out of respect to another’s wishes or opinions
synonym: respect

dilettante

amateur; dabbles in a field without serious intent
synonym: amateur

dirge

mournful poem or song for the dead
synonym: mournful song or poem

elicit

draw out or bring forth (information or reaction)
synonym: cause

exonerate

free from blame or accusation
synonym: absolve

facetious

treating serious issues with inappropriate humor
synonym: flippant

gauche

lacking social grace; tactless or crude
synonym: ungraceful

luminous

shining; emitting or reflecting light; bright
synonym: shining

maudlin

excessively sentimental or tearful
synonym: tearful

noxious

harmful, injurious, or destructive
synonym: malignant

philanthropic

generous; helping or loving mankind
synonym: charitable

philistine

lacking appreciation for art or culture
synonym: tasteless

plastic

capable of being influenced or shaped; malleable
synonym: malleable

platitude

overused, unoriginal saying; cliché
synonym: cliché

propitiate

appease or make peace with (especially a god or spirit)
synonym: appease

puerile

immature; lacking maturity
synonym: immature

sycophant

person who flatters to gain advantage; fawner
synonym: fawner

underscore

emphasize; give extra weight to something
synonym: emphasize

whimsical

playful, light-hearted, or capricious
synonym: impulsive